U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, appointed by President Biden, has indefinitely extended a judicial block that prevents the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopian nationals.
The Biden administration initially admitted more than 5,000 Ethiopians in 2022 under a special protective program. Their TPS was renewed in April 2024 and was set to expire on February 13, 2026.
After assuming office in January 2025, President Trump revoked the TPS designation and directed the Department of Homeland Security to curtail the program. Judge Murphy ruled that the revocation violated required procedural steps.
In early 2026, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem concluded that Ethiopia no longer satisfied the conditions for TPS, based on a review of country conditions and interagency input. The planned termination date of February 13, 2026, was therefore subject to challenge.
On January 30, 2026, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued a stay of the termination order in a case involving community groups. The decision came despite the Department of Homeland Security having won two recent Supreme Court rulings concerning similar TPS terminations.
The Supreme Court's recent 6‑3 decision affirmed that the administration may end TPS for Haitian and Syrian residents, emphasizing the temporary nature of the program. That ruling did not affect the Ethiopian case, which remains under the injunction.
A Department of Homeland Security official criticized the district court's action, asserting that judges are undermining the Supreme Court’s authority and that the order must be halted.
